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Friday, 25 May 2018

She's Back!

So, you’ve taken a career break. If you are truly serious about getting back to work, She’s Back,
was expressly written for you. Lisa Unwin and Deb Khan have cleverly
challenged all the handwringing surrounding the thorny issue of gender
imbalance in the workplace. This book fully explores why 85% of the
women who elected (or for whom life circumstances forced them) to jump
off the career merry-go-round, want to return to work.

More urgently, it addresses - with mounds of evidence - everything
that is getting in the way of all these talented, well trained women.
Lisa and Deb are hell-bent at getting them off the bench. They see now
as the time to reverse the decades of invaluable social and intellectual
capital, which have already been lost.

And that’s important, not only for this fallow talent pool, but for
the economy at large. Particularly when that economy is missing out on
the potential of far greater output at a higher innovation rate. And
while this book is written with women in mind, it’s really for people,
because work-life balance is a minefield for everyone.

Their research is compelling and the business case evidence in
support of returnees is overwhelming. These 294 pages bring you
completely up to date on returning to work, including resource materials
with helpful links to more specific issues. It zips along in a
thoroughly engaging fashion, filled with snappy catchphrases and
incisive quotes from believable people. Case studies are used to good
affect and serve to bolster enthusiasm for the all consuming task ahead.
There is no gettingaround it. Returning will not be straightforward but
this book signposts every step necessary to confidently Mind the
“Career” Gap.

She’s Back is divided into three sections. The first
outlines the current situation and why work needs women, the second
focuses on the individual journey each returnee is on and why each
unique story is a strength to be shamelessly exploited. The third is the
most important, making the case for female equality, includingthat
elusive financial equality. Money matters. Women want to be personally
fulfilled by working but they also want to be paid for it, the same as a
man would be.

This book goes to work with deliberate exercises interspersed, daring
the reader to face their own demons and clarify their intentions. Women
want to get back in but when they do, why is it so often in a job "they
could do standing on their heads"? A lot of that has to do with the way
the recruiting system is institutionalized, starting with the
algorithms used in the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) point of entry.
Contemporary hiring practices are demystified and a comprehensive
methodology for making your CV, LI profile and interviewing preparation
impeccable, is generously offered. Notably, the tool kit also endorses
use of personal coaching, to galvanize efforts and renew confidence;
confidence deficits abound in this group.

The facts are clear that the deck has been stacked againstwomen. They
face a triple whammy on their lifetime earnings potential. Longevity
expectations are higher, they’ve had lower salaries throughout their
workinglife and that means a smaller pension pot - without even
factoring in that women shoulder an unequal share of the costs of
childcare and quite possibly costs of ageing relatives. “Since when did
any child have only one parent?” is a question worth asking. Today, more
women are doing just that because they’ve been picking up that slack
since forever and because there is no way around it, taking a career
break is costly. With potentially 20 plus years of career runway ahead,
there is an economic imperative to get women back in. She’s Back delivers this message, bristling with chutzpah and realistic optimism.

Over 1300 women participated in the research supporting She’s Back and
the average respondent was a 41 year old with 12 years of work
experience. These women want back in on new terms. They want
flexibility, they want to be trusted and they want to work in a place
where their contributions are valued. This book can help make that
scenario possible.

In closing, there is also a strong case, yet to be made, for the
women of the baby boomer cohort. They are also a force to be reckoned
with. Now aged 54-72, many of these women have an economic imperative
too. They represent the first generation of highly educated and
experienced women who entered the work force in number, back in the
1960’s and 70’s. Many checked out, long before flexibility, trust and
value were something that could be negotiated. In the current
environment, the impetus to get woman back into the workplace has never
been greater. Age should never represent a limiting factor either. There’s no time like the present to catch old.